❦𝗪𝗲 𝙎𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝗕𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲❦

❦Chapter 16❦

𒊹︎Your POV𒊹︎

It was about an hour until lunch would be served, and I was already dressed for the scouting party. Frigga had custom made armor made for me by the blacksmith, and I was sporting it already(1). She had told me that even though we would only be scouting, we all needed to be prepared. She even had a special made sheath for my sword to go on my back.

Currently, I was searching for Faline. I wouldn't exactly call it searching as much as I would call 'already knowing where she is and going there'. I headed to the stables, to find her grooming not Bezos, but the yellow dappled horse, my horse.

"Hey." I knocked on the threshold of the stall, and the yellow horse snorted at me. "Yeah, yeah. I know you don't like me." I mumbled to the mare as I went up to pat her neck.

"Have you thought of a name for her?" Faline questioned, and by her tone of voice, I knew that she'd already thought of one.

"No..no I haven't. I've had her for almost four months, and she still doesn't have a name...such a shame....." I trailed off, waiting for Faline to speak up.

"I've been calling her Hilda(2). For that day with the hellhounds, when she was brave enough to stay right beside one of the beasts." She gently brushed a hand over her coat, feeling for any patches of dirt that she may have missed.

"I think Hilda is a lovely name." Faline and I jumped at the smooth voice that drifted through the stall.

We both tuned our heads, and Loki was standing at the entrance to the stall, his arms crossed and leaning against the frame.

"I think so." Faline spoke as she was now petting Hilda's coat.

I watched as Faline stroked the horse, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw a large nose poking over from the next stall over. I knew that nose anywhere, Bezos. I weaved around Loki, and went over to Bezos' stall. I'd visited him a few times since I've been here at the palace, and he's always exited to see me.

"Hey, Bezos." I smiled as he squealed in excitement at the sight of me.

I stroked his face softly, him pushing his face into my chest needily, witch would most definitely have hurt if I did not have a breastplate on. I scratched his neck and he sighed out in content.

"I hate to break up your reunion, darling, but lunch will be served soon and I have been sent to retrieve you." I felt Loki's arms come around my middle, hun resting his head on my shoulder, and he reached out to pet Bezos as well.

"Alright...Faline, don't neglect poor Bezos, I'll see you tonight." I teased as Loki and I walked away.

I heard Faline giggle, since Bezos was probably the most spoiled horse within the palace walls. He was plump with grain, and he even had cream rubbed on his knees and ankles every night for his arthritis that he had acquired with his old age.

Loki and I were the last ones to the dining hall, and we took seats right next to each other. The order of the table went like so: The King, Frigga, Loki, me, Sif, Hogun, Fandral, Volstag, and finally, Thor sitting on the King's left. The other head of the table was left empty, leaving one of the ten chairs unoccupied.

Food was served, and we all ate merrily, easy conversation flowing between all of us. I'd never realized how much Sif and I had in common, the same with the warriors three.